1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to weighing scales, and more specifically, to proportionate balances.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Proportionate balances are used to proportion weights of materials without the need to determine absolute weight values. Materials are placed on opposite sides of a pivoted balance beam. When the beam is balanced, the relative weight of each material is inversely proportional to the horizontal distance of that material from the pivot point. The principle of operation is described and applied in Skinner, U.S. Pat. No. 157,233; Brown, U.S. Pat. No. 657,476; Brown, U.S. Pat. No. 697,318; Chott, U.S. Pat. No. 1,793,276, and more recently, in Kucher, U.S. Pat. No. 2,145,515. Such devices allow precise proportioning of one component relative to an arbitrary amount of another component. While the devices described in the above patents will provide for a satisfactory application of the general principle, they all employ relatively complicated and fragile mechanisms. The balance devices described in the prior art all employ relatively fragile pivot points with which the balance beams are suspended. The use of knife edges is a popular design feature.